Finally, the Grammys got rock music right this year

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It seems the Grammys listened to my criticisms of last year’s rock nominations, and they’ve clearly tried to make things right this year. I was really happy with the five artists nominated for Best Rock Performance at the 2026 Grammys.

Even though I likely would have chosen a different nominee myself, that’s not the important part. Personal preferences are open to debate, but facts are not.

I’m choosing my words carefully here. What I’m about to say could easily sound like ageism, so I want to be clear: I’m older than all but one of the main performers who were nominated last year.

The rock Grammy nominees are decidedly younger this year

I’ve really enjoyed seeing live shows recently by artists like Jonathan Richman, Bruce Springsteen, and Willie Nile – all in their seventies! It just goes to show that age doesn’t matter when it comes to putting on a great performance. I even saw Lucinda Williams, who was 72 at the time, a couple of years ago, and she was fantastic. These seasoned performers can still really rock!

If the Grammys want to stay important and reflect what’s happening in music and culture, they need to recognize new artists, not just rely on established names. Fortunately, this year they seem to be doing just that.

Let’s rewind to the last Grammy Awards (meaning those from 2025 – I know it’s still happening, but for award show purposes, it’s past!). Do you recall who won Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Album? Here’s a clue: the lead singers of the winning artists were all in their 80s at the time – or would have been, if they’re no longer with us.

I didn’t agree with the praise Hackney Diamonds received from Rock Album. I was quite vocal about it! I think it’s a good rock and roll album, but not among the Rolling Stones’ best. I’d place it somewhere between their 10th and 15th best album.

It’s surprising that The Rolling Stones’ album – not even considered one of their best – won a Grammy. It likely won simply because of the band’s famous name, and because the voters for rock awards tend to be older folks who prefer music from the past, like I do – we feel the golden age ended with Lowell George’s death in 1979.

St. Vincent’s album, All Born Screaming, was truly the best rock album of the year and deserved to win. However, it was surprisingly categorized as an Alternative album, a decision that makes no sense to anyone.

I don’t want to spend too much time discussing Hackney Diamonds because I know many people liked it. Plus, the band may have been established, but the music itself felt fresh – it was essentially a brand new rock album.

Surprisingly, the winner for Best Rock Performance wasn’t a current artist. It was a classic track by The Beatles, a band that stopped making new music long before singer Benson Boone was even born. In fact, you’d have to go back two generations of Bensons to reach the time when The Beatles recorded the song! That means the best rock performance of 2025 actually came from a song released over two generations ago.

That ain’t right.

The lead singers of the six songs nominated for Best Rock Performance in 2025 had an average age of 53. Now, 53 isn’t old – I’d love to be that age again! But the fact remains that no singer was under 40. If this is true, it suggests that the era of rock and roll as we know it is over.

Honestly, I’ve seen a lot of people feel this way, but I disagree. It seems like the people in charge of promoting music – including big events like the Grammys – just aren’t interested in pushing new artists. It’s way simpler and quicker for them to stick with established names everyone already knows. It feels like a lack of effort to find and support fresh talent.

Thankfully, there’s still fantastic music being made. Just today, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers released a really exciting rock and roll album. The band members are all in their mid-20s, and another great group, The Linda Lindas, are teenagers playing amazing rock and roll.

The Grammys likely noticed this too, even if they hadn’t seen me mention it. This year, the oldest lead singer among the nominees for Best Rock Performance is actually younger than the youngest lead singer who was nominated for the same award last year.

Okay, I’m bending the rules a little to make a point. I’m including Emily Armstrong of Knuckle Puck as a lead singer for Linkin Park for this comparison. She’s 39 years old. Last year, Joe Talbot from IDLES was the youngest lead singer nominated at 40. Even if I considered Mike Shinoda, who has been with Linkin Park much longer, the overall age difference wouldn’t be significant. This year’s group of frontmen is still noticeably younger.

Honestly, I was stoked to see “U Should Not Be Doing That” by Amy Taylor and the Sniffers nominated! The song just feels like a total rebellion against anyone trying to stifle creativity, especially young artists. She doesn’t actually say that in the lyrics, but that’s totally how it comes across – a really powerful defense of doing your own thing, even if older generations don’t get it.

Taylor Swift shared in an interview with Apple Music that she’s seen older rock fans online, in Facebook groups, criticizing her music, with some even calling it ‘crap’.

To which Amy replies – both in the interview and somewhat more artfully in song…“Kiss my arse!”

That’s rock and roll. And it is still being created today. You just have to look for it.

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2025-11-08 20:01